Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques and procedures for manufactured parts are moving towards a completely digital infrastructure in data acquisition, image inspection, review and archiving. The main purpose of these inspections is to identify flaws or defects in the part. The inspection provides an opportunity to make a decision whether to accept, repair, rework, or discard the part based on the number and severity of the flaws detected. The sensitivity and dynamic range of digital detectors have allowed the detection and localization of flaws that have previously been undetectable in film radiographs. The fast throughput of multi-image inspections and precision placement of the source and detector in industrial inspections have allowed the localization of multiple flaws at a precision of 10 microns in the transverse direction on the surface of the part.
Conventional flaw detection systems are incapable of translating a flaw coordinate as identified on a radiograph to a real physical part in an automated, precise, and reproducible manner. Rather, such systems require manual superposition of a 2-d visual image with the 3-d part, which is very susceptible to error as it relies completely on operator judgment. This effect is exacerbated in the case of complex parts that are inspected multiple times from different points of reference.
It would be desirable to be able to automate the translation of the localized indication on the digital image to the physical part and carry out this operation in a completely digital framework which unifies the design, manufacture, inspection, service, and rework phases.